Editorial page editor Paul Gigot on what to expect from the Colorado and Minnesota caucuses. Plus, columnist Dan Henninger on the politics of Clint Eastwood's Chrysler commercial.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... the world is watching cereal bar so it ... was the dictatorship continues a crackdown has cost thousands of lives here to ... talk about is our editorial page editor Paul to go all thanks for being here again ... so today the ... US embassy shutdown in Damascus Syria ... and the our government now basically saying that our ambassador ... who will now stay here in United States is just going to deal with the opposition in Syria might be a ... but the government there the government of President ... Assad ... he was also tried to get through the UN Security Council resolution calling on saw this that that that was vetoed by Russian checkpoint not even there was a very modest resolution ... who's really trying to say we're going and George the Arab ... League plan which was for transition ... to the side which supervisor transition to a ... more representative government ... and Russia would be to abide by that ... I'd be there with China ... so the anger that the it missed ration has professed is palpable ... and Susan Rice called in to base its legal blood in her hands Russia for Beetel unrest in China ... and if you are cooking called a travesty ... so ... and now the tuba section today they're essentially shut down the ... via ... the embassy there are so ... it's it's a good chair reading situation ... I think the administration is frustrated that is to promise his fail ... the diplomacy filling in for those of you want to ... somehow assisted people there were being ... and in many cases killed ... it certainly ... was by the regime by most accounts more than five thousand casualties deaths so far ... at the hands of or seen ... what the what are the options look for the US we think back to the Reagan era where it all the Polish unwilling day ... can ... I mean you saw an African and pensions Secretary State Clinton's ... comments on Saturday that she'd been with the kids were Sunday ... he said look now we have to work outside the US ... so ... there's a number of nations ... neighbors of of ... of of Syria ... the Turks ... most of the Arab world ... the Europeans ... United States ... all rooms a Assad must go ... can they put together ... you know ... of ... a policy to help you ... the opposition with ... our arms ... with money ... with the refuge over the border in Turkey ... I'm ... in and perhaps could be put together some kind of ... a no-fly zone ... for example of the kind that NATO put together in ... Libya ... that's all likely now ... but if the brutality gets really bad ... you could see a situation where that might be something they can you ... remember James disgust bright against ... these be the administration the Obama administration's ... whole approach to foreign policy which is ... United Nations will be the arbiter of ... collective security let the UN leader ... I guess ... it's probably crossing the line of books on the administration of ... certainly you wanna act on behalf of the opposition here but ... if they succeeded in getting a saw that there be a spaz that are no guarantees that the next person running it is the the the the what would you be more up to ... no on I think we have to assume that to go and that it's there's no guarantees ... I mean it's the it's run by tall white minority government OK which is allied with Iran ... and down the majority various Tuesday ... so any era ... a majority and will often its fundamentals ... but I think that the longer this goes on in the violent increases the likelihood of a good outcome in afterwards ... up goes down ... and that you know see wat I think a better solution early rather than my teacher ideas I can really ... be a mess okay now is working to shift gears for lovee the hope of regime change in Syria to ... a more peaceful form of regime change when price here in United States so this is the present appeal by Mr and Jane ... was somewhat per second rate increase ... the change of government ... and its private peaceful trends okay with that ... to start coming in total oil but I will ... the political ... presidential campaign here in the US we have a ... pretty big day for Republicans tomorrow ... caucuses ... in ... Minnesota and Colorado and also a non binding primary that means they don't work diligence and misery yes and that ... the contest ... beauty contest but ... it ... looks like the big day for Rick Santorum who isn't it Santorum's he has a potentially Santorum's best day since I ... because Gingrich is on the ballot in the so ... so what you get is a contest where he's going to be the main conservative opponent Mitt from pole still have his libertarian ... thought was right but ... Santorum if he could really get close to our to Romney in Missouri that would be ... a very good show ... and then in Minnesota ... what's fascinating today ... is ... the isthe pivot buy her on the campaign ... because he does the charting Gingrich ... barrage after barrage of techie ad news release press conference ... sound bites you name it ... today the term to Central ... in my inbox is overflowing with a ... little announcements of attack ... on on Rick Santorum it's clear they have Tim Pawlenty out about the former governor of Minnesota denouncing Rick Santorum is the Beltway ... insider right ... there and ... I am I here marker ... so they're worried I think that Santorum to do very well and so and I think it stages an upset ... that could begin just change the narrative that which has emerged as you know the last couple of weeks as ... it so ... Bryce got it let's all roll off the sidewalks go to bed ... and wait till November ... well this is interesting because it seems the new Gingrich has been of the adult when times are suggesting that the ... Santorum perhaps I would call it quits and ... ice was a big showing in what may be Santorum should be the one the state ... the new Gingrich of what the ticker on the on one-on-one new money just its suggests that Gingrich will not take that pricing ... but ... you get Santorum ... does I think we have a chance here to get back in again in his disorder of a conversation it's basically been a good showing for ... the really good ... he did have a good showing in Nevada ... second and third word Gingrich and one the ritual on they did and good showings either but it brought me get over fifty percent ... like ... the Santorum was for ... there are some ... silky need someplace to show ... that he's a vote here ... in Minnesota or Ms and Mr could be a chance to say on here ... that's right not going away ... I would suggest it is a chance to win and both of those points is and then in Colorado ... doesn't look like you could win but if you believe recent pulling out of ... a second place to Romney may be solidifying his argument that he's the guy who should be a ... should be going one on one hand and ... taking the conservative than ... the whole the whole goal of each of the supposed to be in these conservatives rates has been to get Romney one-on-one ... Continental posts are going with but essentially SEC is a conservative versus Romney race ... if they can do that ... then each of them thinks they have a chance to consolidate the non Romney felt ... that the Romney votes can grow ... see how slowly but surely up from twenty five percent ... and in Florentine you know he got over Ford ... in the body to over fifty ... what they need to do is they need to be able to knock that number back down ... and showed that ... the voters still don't want this to be home for any need to do that within the next month ... at last they are just you wonder how strong the growing vote total is that Romney has been brought ... Republicans among conservatives among tea party people that don't know is he actually getting them over or they resigning themselves ... grab single day he's the most electable but some recent Paul Rasmussen for example would suggest ... Meidell we know you you don't think you know for sure ... you're the only about if you don't know what I think there is a fair bit of resignation ... here ... on the part of the Republican alike ... that that that they ... they they really wanna beat Obama ... they're not thrilled with any of the camp ... ok ... so but ... slowly but surely are saying OK ... yes it ... looks like Romney can we add ... notes in a little ... out Deere doesn't since it was all about about to attacking capitalism and and and everything else ... lunar colonies grew up and down the metal with PhD in joining the Iran to end its attacks on the line so ... I mean ... that as well as part of the fund ... I mean I don't think that that kind aspirations Mr. ... but you're right there's a resignation prompted her in the one thing that I think Republicans should really be worried that renounced her ... turnout in some of the state's has not been ... enthusiastic not nearly as enthusiastic to was for Democrats ... in two thousand ate when he was ... really dying ... to get into the White House and defeat ... the Republican nominee after lunch ... break now love of all Republicans are sending her ... to have to go ... you know that's not a good sign for November ... it's either I will see ... what sons about a vote Tuesday on price fall for joining us ... wish to us when we come back we're going to talk to we ... talk with them having or about the best and worst of the Super Bowl ads please stay with us ... best and worst of the Super Bowl ads in the first one comes to mind is the place for bad for Chrysler and Dan Henninger Wonderland calm assertive talk about things for me and then editing or ... so the infanticide twenties would have the ... in some ways I think you have to say was the best is its cornice with me is a very compelling voice but the ... first upward of forty a short clip here in the sights along at but the ... wording of take enough time ... what has been talking about how it's halftime ... in America and ... we've got our struggles but now it's so it's got a pep talk that ... uses the of ... possible that right bring down the for inspiration here so here's the place for that for Chrysler in ... the Super Bowl ... this is ... a new room will be to destroy you know something about this movie almost lost everything mmmmm Michelle we all pull together and now Motor City is starting again in mmmmm I ... there's lot of downturns my life and times when we didn't understand each other rumors seems to be close to our time ... discord ... it's hard to see what lies ahead ... to those trials ... we all rallied around the strike ... an activist on ... ay ay ay ay ay ay ... as for me to ... the way through tough times we can find with ... do I ... what's what's ... I ... we ... Churchill has to be ... what's to ... come ... chew on all this ... watch ... we get right back up again when we do the was can hear the roar of engines ... the ... in America ... the second half ... to begin ... with LULU LULU ... so it's ... it's inspiring stuff it's place with the MLP loop ... the world's can hear the roar of engines ... if you want to go ... past the lotion in the content of what he's saying ... world and we all pull together we rallied around then Izzy said ... the auto bailouts were a ... good idea that they'd be good for the country ... well ... you would be nice if an economy were a football game ... for twenty of mobile bar complicated math and Associated Press that support the worst day because of Ben's under political point of two ... of most people thought it was ... fundamentally a pro Obama and the right thing to great extent it was so I don't know ... last October ... when Eastwood was saying he was against auto bailouts now is doing this and maybe he's been watching too many Republican presidential debates and it's decided they're hopeless ... in areas with this strange and ... now the ironic thing is ... I thought my start to see it closed out the soft spot is hard to see the Grand Torino the movie ... based in Detroit ... ironically that ... died that he played was a former ... Ford worker ... Ford was the one company that didn't take the bailout or IRA ... so now he's saying that ... GM purchase Chrysler in this case would remove roughly over trip to Cannes ... was one for General Motors for the ... car survived the apocalypse I read them and there's a zinger at the end of it before it ... can be and and take the bailout money ... so that in a sense both Chrysler and GM are crowing about having survive with all that taxpayer bailout ... in a can of politicizing ... the bailout ... in advance of the election the question as ... to what extent ... does that and comport with reality ... I mean I would argue that it was the best and the worst of the best because obviously the most compelling message It's Clean Eastwood ... he I guess he's right back to movies anymore NEC's tool but disagrees very compelling ... what the worst in that ... sense of of ... of that it doesn't ... seem to say that the bailouts of were positive ... you know you're in for Detroit AP ... it seems the media ... what you what you really want if you want long term job creation is allowing ... companies to fail the new companies to succeed we talked about how Detroit almost lost everything ... I'm you know I'm ... the thing you really say that years on from now will be better off that the government ... get to these ... two giants in business so what's the perhaps ... offering of those assets to do more productive things a couple points above the chain's first of all ... on the big three in Detroit were in trouble ... long before the financial crisis into thousandeight just what the suspected ... they were ... close to bankruptcy four-year errors that was because of that gold plated ... on labor agreements the big three sign it was because all the legacy costs they have for pensions and health care ... and the price came close to bankruptcy several times are already doing negotiations with unions and there's no doubt that when the financial crisis hit ... it created a very severe problem for them ... but that that that that question Ben was racist ... these two companies got taxpayer bail out ... of about fifty billion dollars why these two and not other companies that get into similar ... kinds of problems it was because of the clout of the of the way for convenience ... now the second point to make it ... let's say ... first of all ... GM and Chrysler Group gone into bankruptcy and the restructuring and wonder of bankruptcy court he employed ... and would come up a little bit differently perhaps that was an ... absolutely ... certain that both companies were going to go out of business ... if they can go on this blog on a business ... does that mean that people would stop buying the cars that did when it sold ... those car purchases were drawn to other companies inside United States ... play for all the dollars were ever icing on the other is ... going through Chapter eleven of the normal process not one where the government is forcing uncertain outcome ... made an even better I made it the more probable because it would cut even more awesome though so I mean it's ... it's it's very clear though that I'd ... find it odd that you think about how we ... at halftime had we come out and play big second half of the U S economy ... I hope that message is not a bully me we need to inject more money in the war large corporations limited ... going over so-so cylindrical subpoenas moderates bunnies was and is essentially a preview of what ... Brock Obama is going to argue in the campaign ... we use on bowed we doing everything together essentially means ... that the firm ... mean we can call literally hope everyone really we can do that is through government spending in some sort of ... in all of the descents ... but that is just the wrong ... thing to be with the question remains whether that is the best way to restructure labor costs and the ... growth needs the American economy mummy get one quick example ... Honda Japanese auto copyright for the hit to spent the last you're opening a new plant in Indiana ... that play empires people who live within a two hour drive to the plant in Indiana world on ... all Americans ... it also buys cards from ... two hundred and twenty five U S and Canadian companies ... companies in six different states ... all of which are going us citizens ... so this will recently that ... if GM and Chrysler ... had become smaller that those jobs would not assume we transferred elsewhere in the United States and the been taken by us innocent ... I think that's the game plan for the second half ... so they're appreciated ... the fact that although we did not talking about the of ... a car at the Super Bowl car and I were in talks about the of highways that the cars drive on and how much money they're costing us to ... tells about is Randgold tool of the Cato Institute brittle than for joining us ... but they are ... now what we have a ... the winning the fight in Congress now overdue whether to reauthorizing how to re authorize the ... transportation of funding says the mud as of ... mid table blowout Waleed ... oppressor has been talking about the need to build infrastructure over the last ... year or more ... we Ardi Pena over eighteen cents a gallon on the gas tax that is supposed to be funding ... a lot of roads bridges and exposed transit projects as well are we a ... are we getting our money for that the eighteen cents a gallon ... when I don't think we are on top until nineteen eighty two all that money went into highways and was distributed to states based on formulas considering things like the state's population of land there are enough ... and so you stay pretty much knew how much it was going to get ... up and they started pretty efficiently ... starting in nineteen eighty two Congress began diverting more and more of that money to trends that ... are into other non highway projects that he can be ... becoming more more political instead of using formulas ... they use a lot more earmarks ... and a lot more politically determined phones users ... Congress determining are forgiven the president the power to determine how the money would be spent ... and that the increase in politicize edition of the funds meant that it will be spent ... there are being spent less and less effectively all the time ... so now ... all were at a turning point ... many in Congress want to keep the politics because it gives them power to be Obel to hand out money ... but the tea party Republicans are saying no we want to stop this ... we want to stop spending was ever taken and everyone to stop the politically ... are determined money and go back to formula fun ... so the debate right balance between the of the house which is dominated by the tea party Republicans ... and the Senate that is dominated by the Democrats ... and that the set I want to spend more money and determine if only play in the house was to spend less and Herman it ... of with Formula sae ... that's right and I believe the John mica the chairman of the relevant committee in the house is basically said let's keep spending more let's keep spending billions be on what this gas tax raises even ... op but does not have as many earmarks and I think for a lot of facts figures ... it is the isthe tab is still huge every year year you're not ... necessarily comforted by the fact that the bureaucrats branded as opposed to ... having it being earmarked by Congress ... well that's right and and and the issue is that about the gas tax raises about forty billion dollars the year ... we've been spending about fifty billion dollar senior ... the Democrats want to keep spending that amount ... the tea party Republicans want to reduce spending to be about this being taken and ... so ... on John Mica the chair of the House Transportation Committee came up with this compromise ... will spend more but will get rid of the earmarks would get rid of the forty full ... funds ... and of ... nobody likes it that the Democrats don't like it doesn't want the politics though Republicans tea party Republicans don't like because they don't wanna spend more ... yes I know you couldn't come up with a diaper compromise he could've said ... let's ... continue with all the politics but reduce spending ... and the Democrats might like that will more cuz it still would've been able to control quickly where the money went ... OK offence of what spending obviously I would be a ... some plan for tax ers last thing just very quickly out ... a junior colleagues AKOL via made a point of pointing out that despite a lot of media coverage of ... the bridges are are not crumbling down around the U S in fact there are of I guess by governments on measures that are healthier than ... I would say ten or twenty years ago that we do have that right ... that's right not only the bridge is becoming ... been getting better and better ... of the number of bridges that are considered efficient has been steadily declining ... but our prongs are actually getting better and we complain about potholes but the data show ... that the smoothness of the road has been steadily increasing ... trend and I think it's because roads are paid for out of user fees and they get the ... bid for gold in the road get feedback euro good job ... sounds sounds like we don't need to spend so much a random thanks for joining us ... thank you ... we stay with us when we come back we're going to go to our Collin Levy in Washington with a little more on these on Super Bowl ads from yesterday ... what was the worst Super Bowl ad yesterday to talk about is Collin Levy your senior editorial writer wash and calm things for joining us ... I can ... so we're starting early about the Clintons would add for Chrysler which you give us the best or the worst or maybe both of the Super Bowl ads but ... there's another ad and this was not a national AddThis was in some local lot Michigan nineteen the markets of that to ... certainly has a claim to be the worst ... I think it is probably that had been critically aware that Italy could be or not that it did ... it can add that to the Fed to keep ... it running again that the that that now in the race for Senate ... it basically ... if it was intended to be don't that could be a blow against her ... time ... at decanter China policy they can and I can share ... her basically typical profligate state ... aam but isn't that what it what it really done it is ... like a bit of a racial ... a fire under the ... hippy that ... for a few of the tech industry ... I think we're going see the euro so let's let's play a clip of this of them a lot talk ... a little more this is Pete Hoekstra the Republican ... running against incumbent Democratic Senator in Michigan here's the ... the Michigan Senate aide at the stated now ... get the sense out last minute he meant ... the pile more and why ... not ... the economy get an eight week ... I did a dance ... TTT chuffed ... the seed at the Senate now ... I think this race for us ... is between DeVry spent it now empty spend it ... on pizza than that not bookstore ... and I approve this message ... dollar I'm guessing that ... having reactor is employed broken English into the ad ... was out of ... it was not the end ... of the most sensitive move in this case ... I we gotta prepare for a given ... what we have is about and I mean I don't think ... you are portrayed what ... but the debate that the big picture issue for your weekend ... if you portray tied to it ... being on what the rest of the American economy ... Q you have a woman who I you know in many ways ... you ... get ... the feeling ... of were all ... friendly looking woman with a we're getting your cap ... people to look at that and say ... oh no we definitely don't want her to get a job and make sure that she got burned ... it doesn't make any kind ... of like what the side of the fact that they ... use to kick in English ... I would be in a really awkward way ... on a link if you think it could be ... none of that really click particular what it is difficult to get a proper Catholic in domestic workers idle for ... which we do have very little time left ... I was a desperate but this of ... this certainly doesn't seem like a of what he would put out for a campaign that trend was so firing on all cylinders to keep our Michigan analogies going on ... real quickly any any sense of is it likely to be the nominee ... I think even he probably likely to be the nominee but I think one thing we have to remember here is that ... you everyone thought would be known him for the fact that allowed the fund returned here he actually bring it more money in the last quarter million dollar that have raised his rifle Republican rival we gotta go to ... so you don't get to that right ... thanks to all of them thanks to please come back every weekday at five Eastern for opinion Journal I've ...